INTERNATIONAL SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (ISA) M ay 1999 We are very grateful to the South African National Research Foundation (NR F) for the grant they have given us to produce this Newsletter over the next three years. This has enabled me to give Anthea Metcalfe, Ou r Newslett er and Membership Co-ordinator, an honorarium to perform these tasks. As from July, she will be located in Cape Town. e-mail: antheam@yeb o.co.za We are especially keen to recruit members into RC44 from Africa, Asia and Latin America. As Richard Hyman argues in this edition, these countries continue to be under-represented in RC44 and in many cases, these are the parts of the world where labour movements have been most innovative over the last decade. One problem is the difficulty scholars from these countries face in obtaining the necessary foreign exchange for ISA activities. If the ISA is to become genuinely representativ e of world sociology, thi s problem urgently needs to be addressed . ln Richard Hyman's last newsletter before the Montreal Congress (June 1998), he said that we should devise a communications strategy for the new millennium. He suggested that we could achieve 'considerable economies' if we simply distributed the Newsl etter electronical ly, via the lnternet on the ISA and SWOP web sites o r an e-mail attachment in html format. We will try to make this possible in a user friendly way with minimum effort on your part. We will continue to send a hard copy to those who do not have access to the World Wide Web. This is the last copy that al1 members will receive by post . Anthea will cont act those members with e-mail to explain the ne w system. The founders of RC44 we re concerned to encourage research which recognised that trade unions have political as well as economic functions. I have noticed that a number of other research commiftees cover issues that concern the labour movement - RC I O (Participation and Self-management), RC30 (Sociology of Work), RC47(Social Classes and Social Movements ), RC4 8 (Social movements, Collective Action and Social Chan ge). Perhaps we could ex plore shared sessions with some o f these Research Committees in BrisQane n 200 2. I f yo u have any sugge stions, let us know. Mission / i To encourage international research on Labour Movements, with a focus on their ro le both in industrial relations and in the political arena. Membership is open to an y person engaged in resear ch into Labour Movements or in Labour Movement Activities We hope the article by Rob Lambert, on a meeting of Southern Labour Movements, with an invitation to RC44 to participate in the Southern Initiative on Globalisation and Trade Union Rights (SI GTUR) i n South Africa in October this year, generates interest from those members active in labour movements. Pl ease feel fre e to write to us and encourage members to subscribe to this Newsletter as well as join RC44 and the ISA. \N e have used a Southern African focus to kickstart the Newsletter bu t are serious about covering issues wherever O u r members may be. Until September Eddie Webster e-mail': 029edw@muse. wits.ac.za
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7/28/2019 Van Der Walt Trade Unions in Zimbabwe Rc 44 Ocr
We are especially keen to recruit members into RC44 from Africa, Asia and Latin
America. As Richard Hyman argues in this edition, these countries continue to be
under-represented in RC44 and in many cases, these are the parts of the world
where labour movements have been most innovative over the last decade. One
problem is the difficulty scholars from these countries face in obtaining the
necessary foreign exchange for ISA activities. If the ISA is to become genuinely
representative of world sociology, this problem urgently needs to be addressed.
ln Richard Hyman's last newsletter before the Montreal Congress (June 1998), he
said that we should devise a communications strategy for the new millennium. He
suggested that we could achieve 'considerable economies' if we simply distributed
the Newsletter electronically, via the lnternet on the ISA and SWOP websites or ane-mail attachment in html format. We will try to make this possible in a user
friendly way with minimum effort on your part. We will continue to send a hard copy
to those who do not have access to the World Wide Web. This is the last copy that
al1 members will receive by post . Anthea will contact those members with e-mail to
explain the new system.
The founders of RC44 were concerned to encourage research which recognised that
trade unions have political as well as economic functions. I have noticed that a
number of other research commiftees cover issues that concern the labour
movement - RCIO (Participation and Self-management), RC30 (Sociology of Work),
RC47(Social Classes and Social Movements), RC48 (Social movements, Collective
Action and Social Change). Perhaps we could explore shared sessions with some of
these Research Committees in BrisQane n 2002. If you have any suggestions, let usknow.
Mi s s i o n / iTo encourage international
research on Labour Movements,
with a focus on their role both in
industrial relations and in thepolitical arena. Membership is
open to any person engaged inresearch into Labour Movements
or inLabour MovementActivities
We hope the article by Rob Lambert, on a meeting of Southern Labour Movements,
with an invitation to RC44 to participate in the Southern Initiative on Globalisation
and Trade Union Rights (SIGTUR) in South Africa in October this year, generates
interest from those members active in labour movements. Please feel free to write
to us and encourage members to subscribe to this Newsletter as well as join RC44
and the ISA. \Ne have used a Southern African focus to kickstart the Newsletter but
are serious about covering issues wherever Our members may be.
In March 1999, the powerful Zimbabwe Congress ofTrade Unions (ZCTU) announceû pians to launch aworkers' party to contest the 2000 elections. Thisfdlainred a decision to launch a mass pditiml move-ment for change by the National Working PeoplesConvention of 400 delegates from 30 civic organisa-
tions, convenedby theZCTU in Harare in February.
The m te xt is the ongoing confrwtation between the
organisedW n g class and the repressive regime ofRobertMugabe, which took power in the 1980Independence eledions. The proposed wrkers' partycould swiéep urban constituencies clear of the de facto
one-party rule of Mugabe'sZ i m M frican MümalUnion (Patnotic Front). The poputanty of the ZCTU,and itsGenerai Secretary, Morgan Tsvangirai, is at anall-tirne high due o its militant opposition to thedevastating effects of the govemment neo-liberalEconomic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP)acbpted in 1991, itsopposrtiontoZimûabveaninvdvement in the Congo war, and -Ils for pditicalrefonn. Average r d wages are at their luwd levels
since the earfy 1970s, spending in primaryeducation isat its lowest Ievelssince Independence, and heaithcarespending has been cut in haif. There have been m a sretrenchments (30,000obs in 1998), a aisis on the
Zimbabwe Stock Exchange in November 1997, rapidprice increases due to inflation, the weakening of theZimbabwe dollar, and increasîng taxation (around 40%of incorne).
Despite repression,the ZCTU held anoverwhelrningîym u l erreral stnkeagainst priceand taxincreases in December 1997, repeating the perfor-mance on 3rd and 4th March, and 1Sth and 18th
November 1998. Facedwith strike action, the govem-ment removed a range of taxes and frore basic goods'prices in September 1998. lt also inviteâthe ZCTU tojoin a corporatist NationalE c m i cConsuttative
Forum and a Constitutional Review Commission. In
November 1998. govemrnent changed tack: pressured 1by business, it remaved price controts, leading to fuelprice nats (reminiscent of food ri& in January '98)andZCTU strikes. Govemment's resQonsewas to ban stay-aways, reject labour's demands, investigate the ZCTU,and torture independent journalists,
The regime attnbutes social un- to a conspiracy ofimperialistsand homosexuals against land r e f m
despite the fad that the current land reform programmehas provedto be a rtietoncai exercise like itspredecessors, which have resettled only 5% of peas-ants in 20 years. In this context, the ZCTU withdrew
from nsgatiations to initiate the workers' party. Ofcritical importance is the party's programme: thepresent aim is electoral participation and the poiicy ismoderate. A 1996 ZCTU policy document, 'i3eyondESAP', is instructive: it argued that structuraladjustment was necessary,albeit badly planned.
The Naüanal Working Peopies Convention's Declara-t im alsoacmmodated capitadist restnictunng,arguing the State's role in productionsystemsmu& beredefined tawards facilitation rather than interferenceand that the nation should be made to m p e t e n theglobal market in the next milhnium. Sorne
Convention ddegates favoured a bread popular frontinciMing business and other opposition groups, ratherthan a wurkers' party. In the worst scenano, Zimbabwecould replicate Zambia, where a union-backed (butbusiness-dominated) Movement for Multi-partyiMmcmy todc paner in 1991 only to implernent anacceiemted and devasMing Structural AdjustmentProgtamme.
Howiever, the full manifesta and form of the Workers'Party, and its link to ZCTU, remain to be settled.
RC44 Board: Resident: Richard Hyman Vice-President: Claire Williams Secretcuy:EddieWebster
Executive: A V Jose,Rob Lambert, Carla LipsigMurnme.Regina Morel, Pamela Roby
Ncwsletter and Membership Coordimtor: Anthea Metcalfe
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